1898-1902. No. 25.] 



FISHES. 



By the large number of rays in the fins, these specimens show 

 that they belong to the arctic form, var. gro&nlandica LUTKEN, as 

 might be expected. 



With regard to the Greenland sea-scorpion ("Cottus fjra'nlandicus 

 C. V.", or "0. porosus C. V.") C. F. LUTKEN, in his little treatise on 

 northern sea-scorpions 1 , has declared himself of the same opinion as 

 MALMGREN 2 when he says that it cannot be kept specifically distinct 

 from C. scorpius, but that on the other hand there are certain features 

 which characterise the Greenland sea-scorpion, and justify its being set 

 up as peculiar variety, var. groenlandica, although this must not lead 

 to the belief that the variety differs from the typical C. scorpius in 

 clearly defined or constant characteristics. In another place in the same 

 treatise (p. 374), however, Lutken makes a remark which indicates that 

 the term var. grccnlaudica ought rather to be expanded to include all 

 the high arctic sea-scorpions; for he says: "C. scorpius (s. lat.) must 

 be regarded in its features as a high northern animal form, which attains 

 its greatest size and most characteristic development on the high northern 

 and American shores; on the shores of temperate Europe it is a dwarf 

 form in comparison, and has undergone some reduction in the average 

 number of rays and vertebrae". To show the correctness of this view - 

 which indeed MALMGREN has already to some extent maintained I 

 will here give, in a tabular form, the result of some countings, by 

 MALMGREN, LUTKEN and the present author: 



It will thus be seen that the number of rays averages a little 

 greater in the arctic (Greenland and Spitzbergen) sea-scorpion than in 

 that of the temperate (Faroe Islands); but the difference is more distinct 

 with regard to the number of vertebrae. 



1 CHR. LUTKEN: Korte Bidrag til nordisk Ichthyographi. I. Vidensk. Meddel. Na- 

 turhist. Foren. Kj0benhavn, 1876, p. 370. 



2 A. J. MALMGREN: Om Spetsbergens Fiskfauna. Ofvers. K. Vet.-Akad. Forbandl.. 

 1864, No. 10, p. 495. 



